80Z 

(of 

X 


,:-,-; 

BUREAU  OF  IMMIGRATION 


OF  THE 


TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


REPORT  OF 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY 


BY 

ALBERT  J.  FOUNTAIN, 

COMMISSIONER. 


SANTA  FE : 

NEW   MEXICAN  PRINT. 

1882. 


' 


BUREAU  OF  IMMIGRATION, 


OF  THE 


TERRITORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO, 


REPORT  OF 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY 


BY 

ALBERT  J.   FOUNTAIN, 

COMMISSIONER. 


SANTA  FE: 

NEW    MEXICAN    PPINT. 

1882. 


COMMISSIONERS  OF  THE 


BURMU  OF 


LIST  OF  OFFICERS  AND  MEMBERS- 


Col  fax.  County 

THOMAS  \I.  MJCHA  i-:i>.  Sprir 
Dona   Ana  County 

A  I.IU.IJT  J  .  FOUNTAIN'.  Mesilla. 
<;ranf   CJ  on  illy 

Lincoln   County — 

.1  AMES  .).  DoL.-iN.  Lincoln  . 
]T[ora  County — 

A.SiiEi/noN.Governor.ex-otnr-io.       W[LLIAM  KROENK,.  Watrous. 

Rio  Arrilm  County- 

SAMUEL  FI.DODT,  San  Juan. 
Santa   Fe  County  — 

AHOLPII  SKLK.MAM.  Santa  Fe. 
Sail  ITIisruel  County   - 

(;.  W.  PjUCHAJtT).  l^as  \'eiras. 
Socorro  County  — 

MICH  A  LI.  Fis(  ULI:.  Socorro. 
Taos  County 

THEO.  C.  CAMI-.  Fernandez  de  Taos 
County 
l\rr<»  <  )'j'i-:no.  1'eraliu. 


OFFICERS. 

W.  (',.  HITCH.  President. 
AL\i;i  A:C<>  S.  OTEHO,  Yice  J'resident. 
L.  SriEOELi'.EiK,.  Treasurer. 
JOHN  11.  THOMSON.  Se<M-etai>  . 

MEMBERS- 
AT  LABGE. 


Santa  Fe.  N.  M. 

MARIAN<»  S.  OTKIIO.  Bernalillo. 
WM.  (J.  RiTC'ii,  Santa  Fe. 
TiMMDAD  PkOMERo.  Las  A'egas. 
TRANQUILINA  LUNA.  LosLnna<. 
I  EHM.XX  MME(rELUEKG.  Santa  Fe . 
('HAS.  W.  GISEENE,  Santa  Fe. 
\TCOL AS  J'INO.  (ialisleo. 
G.  \V.  STONEIIOAD,  Cabra  Springs. 


OF 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY 

TO  THE 

BUREAU  OF  IMMIGRATION, 


A  strip  of  table  laud,  four  thousand  feet  above  tin.?  sea  level, 
-some  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  louo-  from  east  to  west,  and 
one  hundred  miles  wide  ft\mi  north  to  south,  lyinjr  in  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  forms  the  county 
of  Dona  Ana.  On  its  eastern  border  is  Lincoln  counts'.  The 
thirty-second  parallel  of  north  latitude  separates  it  from  tlie 
State  of  Texa>  east  of  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte  on  the.  smith, 
and  to  the  we>t  of  the  Rio  Grande  the  State  of  Chihuahua. 
Mexico,  forms  its  southern  boundary.  Grant  county  bounds  it 
on  the  west,  and  Socorro  and  Lincoln  counties  on  the  north. 
Dona  Ana  county  embnu-es  the  <rreater  part  of  that  portion  of 
New  Mexico  acquired  from  the  Republic  of  Mexico  by  the 
Gadsaen  treaty  of  isr>:-'.  Within  this  portion  lies  the  famed 
"Mesilla  Valley."  which,  ere  many  ye:ir>  elapse,  will  be  noted 
as  the  irarden  of  the  continent. 


This  vast  trad  of  table  land  is  traversed  from  north  to 
>V  the  Rio  Grande   del  \ortc.    which    has    washed  out  a  vallev 


RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


something  over  five  miles  in  width,  sinking  over  two  hundred 
feet  below  the  level  of  the  plain.  This  valley  has — within 
Dona  Ana  county — some  three  hundred  square  miles  of  alluvial 
soil,  unsurpassed  in  richness,  which,  when  irrigated  by  the  tur- 
bid waters  of  the  Rio  Grande,  which  meander  through  its  cen- 
ter, produces  enormous  crops  of  all  cereals,  and  all  kinds  of 
fruit  adapted  to  a  temperate  climate.  This  valley  furnishes 
homes  for  nearly  or  quite  eight  thousand  of  the  population  of 
the  county  ;  from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  more  reside 
in  the  mountains  and  on  the  plains  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, stock-raising  and  mining. 

Great  mountain  ranges  spring  up  from  the  plain  to  a  height 
of  from  two  to  six  thousand  feet  above  its  level.  These  ranges 
are  from  twenty  to  fifty  miles  long  and  seldom  exceed  ten  miles 
in  width.  Their  general  course  is  from  north  to  south,  and  they 
are  all  rich  in  mineral. 

Between  these  ranges  are  great  plains,  from  twenty  to  sixty 
miles  wide,  treeless  and  almost  waterless,  but  covered  with  a 
growth  of  rich,  nutritious  grass,  that  affords  pasturage  for 
stock  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 

Beyond  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  but  a  small  portion  of 
the  land  in  the  county  is  susceptible   of  producing   agricultural 
crops,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  water  ;  artificial  irrigation  being 
absolutely  essential  in  this  climate  for  the  production  of  crops. 

The  census  of  1880  gives  Dona  Ana  county  a  population  of 
7,012.  The  present  population  of  the  county  is  about  10,000  ; 
of  these  over  6,000  are  native  born  and  speak  the  Spanish  lan- 
guage. As  a  class  they  are  honest,  industrious  and  hospitable, 
and  are  peaceable,  law-abiding  citizens.  Although  the  Spanish 
speaking  or  so  called  Mexican  element  comprises  four-fifths  of 
the  population  of  the  county,  yet  it  is  an  extraordinary  fact 
that  a  majority  of  the  prisoners  confined  in  the  county  jail, 
charged  with  serious  infractions  of  the  laws,  are  English  speak- 
ing persons  who  arc  not  natives,  of  the  Territory.  Were  it  not 
for  the  crimes  committed  by  strangers  the  criminal  calendar  of 
our  courts  would  be  comparatively  small. 

AGRICULTURAL  AND  HORTICULTURAL  RESOURCES. 

That  portion  of  the  county  included  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Grande  is  unequalled  for  fruit  growing  by  any  other  portion  of 
the  Union.  Apples,  peaches,  pears,  plums,  apricots,  quinces, 
and  indeed  all  fruits  adapted  to  a  southern  temperate  climate, 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY. 


grow  in  profusion  and  to  perfection.  Fruit  growers  are  troubled 
with  no  diseases  of  tree  or  fruit,  no  damaging  insects,  no  "off 
years,"  in  fact  with  none  of  the  ills  incident  to  horticulture  in 
'  other  localities.  Grape  culture  is  the  great  specialty.  A  vine- 
yard that  has  reached  the  age  of  three  years  and  upwards  will 
produce  16,000  pounds  of  grapes,  equal  to  800  gallons  of  wine, 
to  the  acre.  From  seven  hundred  to  eight  hundred  vines  are 
set  out  to  the  acre.  They  are  planted  in  rows  from  six  to  seven 
feet  apart,  are  pruned  to  the  stump  each  spring,  and  the  vine  is 
usually  covered  with  earth,  or  mulched,  during  the  winter.  A 
vine  will  produce  from  twenty  to  thirty  pounds  of  grapes,  ac- 
cording t<>  its  age.  Small  fruits,  especially  strawberries,  do  as 
well  here  as  anywhere  else,  and  better  than  in  most  places. 

With  proper  cultivation  forty  bushels  of  wheat  or  eighty 
bushels  of  corn  can  be  made  to  the  acre.  It  is  not  unusual  to 
sow  wheat  in  the  winter,  harvest  the  crop  in  June,  and  then 
plant  the  same  land  in  corn,  which  is  harvested  in  October  or 
November  of  the  same  year. 

Fertilizers  are  but  seldom  u<ed,  as  each  irrigation  leaves  a 
slimy  deposit  on  the  land,  which  renews  the  soil,  and  is,  in  fact, 
the  best  fertilizer  that  could  be  used. 

Each  town  or  settlement  has  its  own  irrigating  ditch  or  canal 
which  is  the  property  of  the  community.  All  persons  owning 
or  holding  lands  that  can  be  watered  by  the  ditch  are  required 
by  law  to  contribute  their  ;>ro  rata'  of  labor  to  keep  the  canal  in 
proper  working  order,  and  they  are  entitled  to  the  use  of  the 
water,  subject  to  the  regulations  adopted  by  the  community  in 
conformity  with  the  Territorial  laws.  A  u  mayordomo"  or 
superintendent  is  elected  each  year  by  the  community,  whose 
duty  it  is  made  by  law  to  superintend  the  work  on  the  ditch  and 
attend  to  the  partition  of  the  water.  He  is  allowed  a  small  sal- 
ary for  his  services,  which  is  usually  paid  in  produce.  The 
principal  irrigating  canals  in  the  valley  are  from  six  to  ^  fifteen 
miles  long  :md  from  eight  to  ten  feet  wide  at  the  mouth  *;  these 
are  the  main  arteries  from  which  smaller  ditches  or  "contra  ace- 
quias"  take  the  water  and  distribute  it  over  the  land.  The  pres- 
ent system  of  irrigation  is  susceptible  of  great  improvement. 

HORTICULTURAL  PURSUITS. 

Nothing  strikes  the  new  comer  to  the  Mesilla  valley  more  for- 
cibly or  agreeably  than  its  perfect  adaptability  to  fruit  raising, 
and  the  advantages  offered  by  a  climate  where  fruit  trees  can  be 
"kept  growing  for  nine  months  in  the  year.  In  no  branch  of  in- 


RE.SOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


(lustry  is  the  reputation  of  the  Mesilla  valley  more  n'rmly  estab- 
lished than  in  regard  to  fruit  culture. 


- 


Its  grapes  and  quinces  have  for  many  years  been  noted  feu* 
their  excellence,  but  it  is  scarcely  a  decade  of  years  since  the 
improved  varieties  of  pears,  plums,  peaches  and  apples  have 
been  cultivated,  and  yet  within  that  short  time,  although  isolated 
and  without  railroad  communication,  the  fame  of  its  excellent 
fruits  has  spread  far  and  wide.  The  first  orchards  of  improved 
varieties  of  apples  and  pears  were  planted  in  1807.  in  Mesilla. 
Koot  grafts  were  procured  through  the  mails  and  they  prove- ; 
thrifty  and  commenced  bearing  the  fourth  year.  The  tree.-  are 
now  quite  large  and  healthy  ar.d  produce  enormously 
i/<-<f /-.  The  diseases  to  which  fruit  trees  are  liable  in  the  eastern 
States,  are  here  absolutely  unknown.  The  preparation  and 
exportation  of  dried  fruits  of  all  kinds  is  destined  to  become 
one  of  the  most  important  industries  of  the  Mesilla  valley. 

GRAPE  CULTURE. 

The  principal  variety  of  grape  grown  in  the  Mesilla  valley  is 
the  ••  Mission"  grape  ;  it  was  probably  introduced  by  the  Span- 
ish missionary  priests  between  two  and  three  centuries  ago.  It 
is  very  sweet,  has  little  acid  or  astrlngeney  and  is  entire!}'  de- 
void of  the  "foxy'1  taste  found  in  eastern  grapes.  It  is  very 
fruitful  and  has  an  abundance  of  juice.  The  wine  made  from 
this  grape  is  of  considerable -alcoholic  strength,  and  is  made  pure 
and  simple  without  adulteration  of  any  kind.  Many  person? 
when  they  first  use  the  Mesilla  valley  wine  believe  that  it  has 
been  artificial  I y  sweetened.  This  is  owing  to  the  tact  that  so  much 
sugar  is  contained  in  the  grape  that  after  reaching  the  maximum 
alcoholic  strength  attainable  by  fermentation  the  wine  still  re- 
tains a  very  perceptible  amount  of  unchanged  sugar.  Foreign 
varieties  have  been  tried;  not  for  wine  manufacture,  however. 
They  do  quite  well,  but  solar  have  proven  inferior  to  the  native 
grape*  for  table  use.  Brandy  making  has  nor  been  neglected. 
A  very  high  quality  of  brandy,  said  by  experts  to  be  fully  equal 
to  the  best  imported  French  brandy  is  being  manufactured  trom 
the  lees  of  the  wine  after  it  has  been  racked  off.  Peach  and 
apple  brandy  of  a  very  superior  quality  is  manufactured  at 
Mesilla.  None  of  the  vine  pests,  such  as  the  /$////' 
Oidium.  have  yet  troubled  i.ho  viivs  in  the  Mesilla  valley 
<;:ic  reason  why  fr.ivign  varieties  of  grapos  have  n 
u" ',:D: 'rally  intro;luvr,l,  is  psriiaps  ovvin^  to  the  n 
rhat  toreicfri  dise^c.-;  miii'ht  be  introduced  with  them. 


D-).\A  ANA  COL'XTV. 


OMOX  CULTURE. 

'The  native  onion  is  justly  famous  for  its  si/e,  beauty  and 
mild  flavor.  These  onions  will  average?  from  nine  to  eighteen 
inches  in  circumference,  weighing  from  one  to  three  pound-. 
Thirty  thousand  onions  can  be  produced  to  the  acre,  averaging 
over  one  pound  each.  The  writer  has  had  the  benetit  of  a  large 
experience  on  this  subject,  andean  say,  from  actual  experiment, 
that  with  careful  cultivation,  ."><>. nun  pounds  of  onions  can  be 
produced  to  the  acre  //*  •'/•><','.  These  onions  far  surpass  the' 
famed  Bermuda  onion  in  every  respect  :  they  are  larger,  better 
flavored,  milder,  and  better  shaped,  and  would  command  a  much 
higher  price  in  the  eastern  markets.  They  can  be  marketed  on 
the  ground  where  raised  at  three  Cftfifa  />>?r  i>'»in<i .  Every  acre 
of  land  in  the  Mcsiila  valley,  under  cultivation,  can  b  •  mado  to 
produce  at  least  one  thousand  dollars  annually  if  planted  in 
onions  and  well  cared1  for.  An  acre  of  onions  will  require  the 
exclusive  labor  of  one  m.'ii  for  six  month-  in  Uui  year  Four 
men  could  attend  to  ten  acres,  including  the  preparation  of  the 
beds  and  the  work  on  the  irrigating  canal>. 

MODE  OF  (TLTIYAT10X. 

The  seed  is  sown  broadcast  in  heds  in  January  ,  or  Febr-.wry. 
In  April  or  May  the  youn^'  plant  is  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch 
in  diameter,  -and  is  ready  to  transplant.  For  tr  insplantiiiiT, 
the  land  is  laid  pffinto  beds  of  convenient  si/e  for  irri  ja'inu:,  is 
ploughed,  leveled  and  irrigated:  when  drv  eiMim'h  'to  Work,  the 
sets  are  planted  in  rows  eiirhtren  inches  apart,  and  from  eight 
to  ten  inches  apa*'t  in  the  rows  ;  to  transplant,  a  sharpened 
stick  is  thrust  about  three  inches  into  the  ground  and  with- 
drawn, the  youn.i1  onion  is  dropped  into  the  hole,  the  bed  is 
immediately  irrigated  which  fixes  the  set  firmly  in  the  ground. 
It  immediately  commences  to  mow.  When  tin-  onion  is  ab  >ut 
an  inch  in  diameter,  and  the  buib  begins  to  form,  all  the  earth 
should  be  carefully  removed  from  the  bulb  leaving  it  resting1  o-n 
t<>j>  of  f//r  * '..//  with  no  portion  Imf.  f/i"  font*  in  the  £rounc7.  It 
will  then  grow  very  rapidly,  and  if  irrigated  every  ten  days, 
and  hoed  between  each  irrigation,  it  will  reach  from  one  to  three 
pounds  in  weight  ii.  October  and  berfeady  for  market. 


With  ihe  exception  of  the  Irish  potato,  all  kinds  of  vegetables 
_»T.;W  to  perfection  and  can  be  raised  at  all  s<jas  >ns  of   the  year. 
S'.veet  notatoes,  tomtttoes,  cabbage,     turnips,     beets,     pumpkins, 
peanuts,  etc..   etc..  do  as  well  here  and   are  as  sure  crops    as    in 
••nv  other  localit  v. 


RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


ALFALFA. 

Undoubtedly  the  most  valuable  of  forage  crops  adapted  to 
the  climate  of  the  Mesilla  valley  is  the  alfalfa,  a  variety  of 
Lucerne.  Stock  not  only  eat  it  with  avidity,  but  thrive  and 
fatten  upon  it.  It  attains  a  height  of  from  twenty-four  to  thirty 
inches,  and  five  cuts  of  forage,  aggregating  to  something  like 
eighteen  to  twenty  tons  of  hay  per  acre,  have  frequently  been 
made  in  a  season.  It  is  difficult  to  overestimate  the  impor- 
tance of  alfalfa  to  agriculture  in  this  valley.  It  is  the  most 
available  green  forage  during  summer,  and  as  an  adjunct  to  dairy 
and  stock  farming  is  invaluable. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  dairy  farm  in  Dona  Ana  county  ! 
This  is  very  remarkable  when  we  consider  that  fresh  butter 
of  fair  quality  can  always  find  a  ready  market  at  sixty  cents 
per  pound  ;  (eastern  butter  of  a  poor  quality  sells  for  fifty- 
cents),  and  forty  acres  of  alfalfa  would  be  sufficient  to  keep 
forty  good  cows.  I  know  of  no  investment  that  would,  if 
judiciously  managed,  prove  more  remunerative  for  the  amount 
of  capital  invested  than  a  small  dairy  and  poultry  farm  in  this 
valley.  Eggs  sell  at  from  thirty  cents  per  dozen  in  the  spring 
and  summer  to  fifty  cents  in  the  fall  and  winter.  Fowls  can- 
not often  be  bought  at  less  than  seventy-five  cents.  There  are 
no  special  difficulties  to  be  overcome  in  dairy  farming  or  poul- 
try raising  in  the  Mesilla  valley. 

APICULTURE  is  a  new  industry,  one  that  has  been  recently 
introduced  in  this  valley,  and  I  am  informed  by  Mr.  Shirfey, 
the  Register  of  the  United  States  Land  Office  ~at  Mesilla,  an 
experienced  and  practical  apiculturist  who  has  for  the  past  three 
or  four  years  had  the  control  and  management  of  the  first  colony 
of  honey-bees  brought  to  this  valley,  that  nowhere  is  the  pro- 
duct of  the  bee  of  finer  flavor  or  can  it  be  marketed  in  a  more 
attractive  form  than  in  the  Mesilla  valley.  The  experiment 
made  with  these  bees  has  satisfactorily  demonstrated  that  api- 
culture will  soon  demand  a  place  as  one  of  the  important  indus- 
tries of  Dona  Ana  county.  The  imported  bees  take  kindly  to 
the  climate  and  food.  The  Artemisia,  Mesquit  and  other  wild 
plants  afford  unlimited  pasture  throu  h  three-fourths  of  the 
year.  Alfalfa,  when  in  blossom,  from  May  to  September, 
affords  the  best  of  pasturage  not  only  for  stock  and  swine  but 
or  the  h  oney-bee. 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY. 


CANAIGRE. 

On  the  great  table  lands  of  Dona  Ana  county,  and  in  the  in- 
numerable canons  leading  from  the  table  lands  to  river  bot- 
toms, there  grows  spontaneously  and  in  pro  fusion  a  plant  known 
as  the  u  canaigre."  The  top  has  some  resemblance  to  a  beet  top, 
the  root  resembles  a  sweet  potato,  is  from  six  to  eighteen  inches 
long;  each  plant  has  from  three  to  six  pounds  of  root.  This  root 
contains  23.45  per  cent,  of  rheo-tannic  acid,  and  is  very  valuable 
for  its  tannin.  The  Commissioner  of  Agriculture,  in  his  report 
for  1878,  speaking  of  this  plant,  says  : 

u  The  examination  of  the  canaigre,  for  tannin,  shows  the  ex- 
istence of  a  very  abundant  source  of  this  important  material, 
and  gives  reason  for  the  belief  that  the  latter  at  least  may  soon 
afford  a  cheap  supply  to  the  arts.  Thus  far  only  a  preliminary 
examination  has  been  made,  but  the  investigation  is  being  con- 
tinued, and  will,  it  is  hoped,  have  reached  definite  conclusions 
before  the  publication  of  the  annual  report,  of  which  this  will  be 
a  part.  The  importance  of  a  new  and  cheap  source  from 
which  tannin  may  be  readily  attained  can  scarcely  be  over  esti- 
mated, and  the  most  diligent  prosecution  of  this  search  in  va- 
rious directions  will  be  continued  until  success  is  assured.  The 
amount  of  barks  and  other  substances,  valued  for  their  tannin, 
reaches  many  millions  of  dollars  yearly,  and,  if  the  canaigre 
root  answers  our  expectations,  the  world's  supply  may  be  easily 
grown  by  our  own  people." 

Subsequently  an  analysis  of  the  canaigre  root  was  made  yb 
the  chemist  of  the  Bureau  of  Agriculture  with  the  following 
result : 

EXAMINATIONS  FOR     TANNIC    ACID — ANALYSIS  OF     CANAIGRE  ROOT. 

The  roots  are  from  four  to  six  or  eight  inches  long  by  about 
one  inch  in  diameter,  deeply  corrugated,  of  a  dark  brown  color 
externally,  a  'leepred  brown  color  internally,  and  of  a  peculiar- 
odor  like  madder.  In  fine  powder  it  is  of  a  light  red-brown 
color. 

The  fresh  roots  received  from  the  same  locality  were  smooth 
in  outline,  and  much  resembled  sweet  potatoes  in  form,  but 
were  dark-brown  in  color.  In  transverse  section  they  were  of  a 
bright  lemon-yellow  color,  which  rapidly  changed  to  red- 
brown  by  exposure  to  the  air.  They  lost  water  very  rapidly, 
becoming  shrivelled  like  the  r.)ots  previously  received. 

Both  the  fresh  and  the  dry  roots  have  a  very  astringent  taste. 

2 


RESOURCES  <>F  NKW   MEXICO. 


In  the  fresh  root,  containing  (>8.0T   per   cent,    of   moisture,  the 
tannin  equalled  8.51  per  cent.,  or  *2<.J.(>2  per    cent,    when   ca! 
lated  to  water- free  substance. 

The  air-dry    roots,    containing'  11.17   per    cent,    of  moisr 
contain  ^o.-4-o  per  cent,    of  tannic    acid,  equivalent   to  ^tJ.30  per 
cent,  of  tannin  in  strictly  dry  root.     From  the  close  agreement 
in  the  tannin  estimations  in  the  fresh   and    dry  roots    it    would 
seem  as  if  the  tannin  was  not  affected  by  long-keeping. 

This  tannic  acid  is  of  the  variety  known  as    rheo-tannic    • 
and   is  identical    with   that  existing    in   rhub  in>.      In  m-.uiy  re-, 
spects  cafiaigre  root  resembled  rhubarb,  and  the  folio  wing  anal- 
ysis   has  been  made  with    a  view   to   'etermine,  if  possible,   the 
value  of  cariaigre  root  either  as  a  t-inninu  material  or   a- 
icina!  substance. 

The  following  are  the  pinveiitair  •  !|1d  by  s 

the  aii- dry  root,  which  contained  11.17  percent,  of  moist U 

Cold  vvati-T 

Alcohol,  OS  percent • 

Alcohol,  N5  per  cent 

Petroleum  ether 

Chloroform ;''- 

Carbon  ciisulphide 

Ether    extracts   vary  in    amounts-  according  to  the  - 
allowed  to  act.      It  will  fee  .observed  that  petroleum    ether,  chlo- 
roform, and  carbon  disulphide  extract  nearly  the  same  a  mounts. 
The  extract    thus    obtained    was    a  yellow,  soft-solid  substance, 
freely  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,-  benzole,  carbon  -iisuiphide.  and 
chloroform  :  insoluble  in  water.      Its    solutions    have    a    faintly 
acid  reaction.      It  is  soluble,  in    greater   part,    in    alkai' 
drates,  with    a    beautiful    pink   to    carmine    color.      Its   fair- 
alkaline  ainmoniacal  solution  precipitates  acetate  •  f  lead    pink, 
and    reduces    potassium    permanganate   in    the  cold,  am: 
rently  i educes  silver   nitrate.      This    substance    ha* 
yellow  i't$'in    in  this  analysis,  although   it  may   contain   irace.->  of 
oil,   chrysoplianic  acid,  and  emodin   (Quar.   Jour.   Ch.  Soc.,   x, 
300).      Alcohol  extracts  the  above  ///7/w  resin  and  a  red  brown 
substance  in  some  particulars    resembling    the    erythror 
Scl]l(>ssberger   and  Dopping  (Ann.  ('h.  Pharm.  /.  L'l'J). 

This  substance,  when  dried,  "s  a    uri'  oro\v-a  - 

'ble  on  the  wator-bath,  sol:;biei;i  alcohol  and  diluted  ; 
iii^-'l'.ible  in  wal^r,  ami  near  \    ins  ,i:;b!e    in    ether,    chl^rofo 
benzole,    petroleum,  ether,    carbon    d. sulphide.      \Vilh 
hydrates  it  dissolves  to  a  beautiful  pnrp'- 


DONA  AXA  rorNTY.  11 


of  acid  re-precipitates  the  substance^  Alcohol,  also  extract.-  the 
rheo-tannic  acid  already-  mentioned,  together  with  some  sugar 
and  a  red-substance  soluble  in  water. 

Water  extracts  this  red  coloring  matter,  a  brownish  coloring 
matter  insoluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  etc.,  together  with  gum,  pectin 
and  sugar. 

Dilute  potassium  hydrate,  used  after  the  substance  lias  been 
thoroughly  extracted  by  alcohol  and  water,  was  colored  dark 
purplish  red.  When  acidified  the  solution  precipitated  flocks 
of  a  deep  red-brown  substance,  much  resembling  the  red 
substance  extracted  by  alcohol,  but  differing  from  it  in  being 
insoluble  in  alcoh(  1. 

In  all  these  particulars  this  substance  exactly  corresponds 
with  aj>oi'<-'tin*  and.'  accordingly,  it  has  been  so  designated  in 
this  analysis. 

The  root  contained  considerable  starch  ;  the  starch-grains 
were  medium-sized,  round  and  ovate.  The  staich  was  < -on  vert- 
ed into  glucose  by  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  and  estimate. I  from  the 
glucose  formed. 

Albuminoids  were  calculated  from  the  total  nitrogen,  by  com- 
bustion with  soda-lime. 

Cellulose  was  determined  in  the  residue  after  the  extrac- 
tion of  all  the  above-named  substances. 

Moisture  was  determined    from    loss   of    weight    at    1  K>  c   to 
C. :  ash.  by  simple  combustion. 

The  figures  given  are  for  ash-free  substances,  and    direct  esti- 
mations were  made  in  every  case,   except   for  suu'ar  and  ••  red 
substance  soluble  in  water."     Oxalic  and  malic  acids   were    not 
mated. 

•  >•. lin  ? Triir 

Yellow  ivsin • bit-  in  alcohol. 

Keel  sut  sta !:cc.  si.iubie  in  alcohol 

bstance,  ,-oluble  in  water  <  10. U 

•  , 

Rheo-ra mile  acid ^5.45         -Soiubl 

(linn,  pectin,  brown  color (i.il          \ 

Ablbuminoids .I -2 1 

A  pore!  in 4.7* 

btarch S.4IU 

Cellulose •-.         4.52 

Ash-"-    ....             4  :•> 

Moist  ;iv...                                                                   .  ;i  17 


terniiiied  by  actual  experlmen  ta- 


12.  RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


tion.  The  result  of  the  analysis  fails  to  show  the  presence  of 
any  substances  that  would  prove  injurious  to  leather,  and  the 
large  proportion  of  tannic  acid  is  certainly  a  favorable  indica- 
tion. In  many  particulars  this  root  resembles  rhubarb,  and  it 
seems  probable  that  it  may  be  used  to  advantage  in  place  of  rhu- 
barb, where  a  more  astringent  medicine  is  indicated. 

The  rapid  change  of  the  fresh  root  from  yellow  to  brown 
may  be  due  to  the  change  of  yellow  resin  into  the  less  soluble 
red-brown  substances." 

The  result  of  a  long  experience  in  the  use  of  canaigre  for 
tanning  purposes  by  our  native  tanners  has  been  to  remove  all 
doubt  as  to  the  £reat  value  of  this  root  in  the  manufacture  of 
leather.  That  it  contains  nothing  injurious  to  the  leather  has 
been  demonstrated  by  long  use.  Its  great  abundance,  the  facil- 
ity with  which  it  can  be  gathered,  and  its  value  as  "a  new  and 
cheep  source  from  which  tannin  may  be  readily  obtained."  will 
all  contribute  to  make  its  gathering,  shipment,  and  perhaps  its 
culture,  anew  and  important  industry  in  Dona  Ana  county. 

GYPSUM. 

On  the  great  plain  lying  eavSt  of  the  Organ  and  San  Andreas 
ranges  of  mountains  is  a  deposit  of  crude  pulverized  gypsum. 
The  deposit  is  about  forty  miles  long  and  thirty  miles  wide. 
The  powdered  gypsum  resembles  huge  snow  drifts  from  twenty 
to  fifty  feet  in  height.  A  shovel  full  of  this  gypsum  when  held 
over  the  camp  fire  for  a  few  minutes  becomes  pure  pl<n<t>  /• 
parts.  Thj  projected  railroad  from  El  Paso,  Texas,  to  White 
Oaks,  will,  when  completed,  pass  in  close  proximity  to  these 
gypsum  beds,  and  afford  a  means  for  shipping  this  valuable  fer- 
tilizer to  the  wheat  fields  of  the  east. 

There  are  but  four  land  grants  in  Dona  Ana  county.  One  of 
these  is  a  private  grant  of  three  leagues  kvhich  has  been  con- 
firmed by  Congress.  The  others  are  colony  grants,  with  well 
•defined  limits. 

Agricultural  land  of  the  best  quality  suitable  for  fruit  and 
wine  raising  can  be  purchased  at  from  five  to  ten  dollars  per 
acre  with  good  title.  An  acre  of  land  containing  eight  hundred 
bearing  vines  is  worth  one  thousand  dollars. 

If  properly  cultivated  and  cared  for  the  produce  of  a  single 
acre  should  sell  each  year  for  : 

Ifgrapes, $800  00 

If  fruit,  sucli  as  apples,  ueaclies.  pear-,  etc., 500  00 

If  small  fruit,  such  as  strawberries,  etc.,  1,000  00 

If  onions, 1,00000 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY.  15 


The  adobe,  or  sun-dried  brick,  is  the  material  usually  employ- 
ed for  building  purposes,  long  experience  having  proven  that 
it  is  the  best,  most  durable,  comfortable  and  economical  in  this 
climate.  The  bricks  are  made  of  the  alluvial  soil  of  the  vallev 
which  is  simply  mixed  with  water  to  the  consistency  of  thick 
mud.  Chopped  straw  is  mixed  in,  and  the  bricks  are  moulded 
in  wooden  frames,  twenty-two  inches  long,  eleven  inches  wide 
and  three  inches  deep  ;  and  are  then  left  to  dry  in  the  sun. 
Four  men  should  make  and  mould  one  thousand  adobes  per  day. 
They  can  be  bought  for  eight  dollars  per  thousand,  and  for  an 
additional  eight  dollars  laid  up  in  the  wall.  They  are  laid  up 
with  the  same  mud  of  which  the  adobe  is  made!  A  properly 
laid  abobe  wall  when  plastered  inside  and  out  should  be  twenty- 
four  inches  thick.  These  walls  are  impervious  to  heat  or  cold 
and  hence  make  the  most  comfortable  dwelling  house  for  this 
climate.  A  comfortable  adobe  house  with  two  rooms  and  a 
kitchen,  roofed,  with  doors  and  windows,  can  be  built  for  $500. 

The  native  Spanish  speaking  portion  of  the  population  of 
Dona  Ana  county,  comprising  five-sixths  of  the  whole,  have  a 
kindly  feeling  for  immigrant  &  who  come  and  settle  and  live 
among  them,  so  long  as  they  behave  themselves.  The  stran- 
ger, who  appears  to  be  an  honest  man,  and  to  come  for  an  hon 
est  purpose,  is  received  with  warm-hearted,  open-handed  hospi- 
tality. But  these  people  have  so  often  had  their  confidence 
abused  by  that  most  disagreeable  of  all  animals,  the  "  American 
Rough,'*  that  they  cannot  be  blamed  for  keeping  shy  of  stran- 
gers who  do  not  come  well  recommended  by  persons  in  whom 
they  have  confidence.  The  native  population  of  Dona  Ana 
county,  as  a  rule,  is  peaceable  and  law-abiding.  Life  and  prop- 
erty is  quite  as  secure  and  as  well  protected  in  this  region  as 
in  any  other  portion  of  the  Territory,  and  much  better  than  in 
some  localities.  The  laws  are  stringently  enforced,  and  ruffian- 
ism is  at  a  discount.  Within  the  past  twelve  months,  two  mur- 
derers, (one  a  Mexican,  the  other  an  "  American  Rough, ")  have 
been  tried,  convicted  and  executed  by  due  process  ot  law,  and 
for  the  past  twenty  years  no  man  has  suffered  from  mob  vio- 
lence or  i '  Lynch  Law"  in  Dona  Ana  county. 

PASTORAL. 

The  vast  plains  and  extensive  mountain  ranges  of  Dona  Ana 
county  are  covered  with  a  species  of  grass  known  as  "Grama,'* 
which  grows  in  bunches,  more  or  less  thick,  according  to  the 
locality,  but  it  is  always  found  sufficiently  abundant  to  famish 


14  KKSOl  H(  KS  OF   NEW  .MKXIC 


.stock  with  the  most  nutritious  food  at  all    seasons    of  the  year. 
It  floes  not  flourish  on  damp  or    clay    soil,  and    hence    it  is    not 
found  in  the  river  bottoms.     It  thrives  best  in  sand  and    gravel 
and  is  Found  in  perfection  on  the  dry    sandy    plains    and     rocky 
hill  slopes.      Morses,  cattle  and  sheep  live  and  thrive   upon    this 
excellent  grass  without  other    feed  ;  tiowerless    and    socdlc 
covers    the  broad  plains    and  clothes  the   mountain    sides    \vith 
withered  looking  bunches  that  seem  to  combine  the  <[iialiti< 
irrain  and  the  best  of  hay  in  the  greatest  perfec 


Cavalry  officers,  freighters  and  stock-raisers  give    it  the  very 
first  rank   among  all  sorts  of  hay.  and   assert  that    it  is  superior 
as  hay.  to  the  best  clover  or  timothy,  and  this    opinion  is  shared 
by  all  who  have  had  experience  in   its  use.     Thousands   of  tons 
of  this  valuable  hay  can  at  any  time  be  had  for  the   cutting   and 
baling   in  close  proximity  to  a  railroad  track  for  over  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  mill's  in  this  county,     (rood  grama    hay    can    be 
cut  tuvj  tint/  i»  t-kvi/eitr.     The  best  season  for    cutting,  however, 
is  in  the  months  of  September.  October    and    November,  or    at 
anv  times  after  the  summer  rains  are  over  and   before    the    first 
frost.      With    thousands    of    square   miles    'covered    with    such 
gra>ses.  with  a  climate  that  pennits  stock    to  run  at    large    un- 
sheltered every    day  in  the   year.  Dona  Ana  county  ncc.'ssarilv 
counts  stock-raising  among  the  most  important   and  most   lucra- 
tive industries.      Scarcity  of  water  on  the  plains  is   a  drawback. 
but  one  that  can  easily   be    overcome.      The  railroad    companies 
who  have  laid  over   two   hundred   and    fiftv    miles    of  track    in 
Dona  Ana  county  have  never  failed  to  find  water  on    the    plains 
wherever  they  have  bored   or  dug  for  it.     Persons  intending   to 
take  up  stock  ranclies  will  have  the  benefit    of  this    expert- 
Intelligent  stockmen  assert  that  the -profits  on    cattle   and    5 
raising  will  average  fifty  pr-r  cent,  annually  on    the  amount    in- 
vested, and  that  the  a-verage  loss  will  not  reach    two    per    cent. 
Yo  fahd  of  xto'-k  /.v  ever  requited  to  l»-  win 

The  method  of  stock-raising  in  D;)fi:i  Ani  countv  is  purelv 
pastoral.  The  meat  cattle,  mostly  the  Tex  a-,  long-horn,  roam 
at  large  over  the  plain*,  the  brand  being  the  only  method  by 
which  the  owner  can  identify  his  propertv.  \Yhe.n  not  kept 
* 'close  herded"  cattle  will  frequently  wander  a  hundred  miles 
from  the  owners'  ranche.  Periodical  *k  round- lips'"  are  made,  on 
which  occasions  the  young  calves  are  branded  and  marked  with 
the  same  mark  mid  brand  that  the  mother  has.  Sheep  are  al- 
lowed to  roam  from  one  watering  place  to  another  in  charge  of 
a  shepherd  and  his  dog,  never  beino-  placed  under  shelter  except 


on  rare  occasions,  jvhen  it  becomes  necessary  to  handle  them. 
The  common  sheep  of  the  country  is  far  from  being-  a  high-bred 
animal,  yet  the  stock  has  been  found  profitable  in  cases  where 
improved  stock  has  failed  to  pay.  Mr.  Benjamin  E.  Davies, 
of  San  Augustine,  is  the  largest  flock  master  in  the  county.  He 
has  by  careful  breeding  succeeded  in  discovering  what  stock 
and  breed  is  best  adapted  to  this  locality,  and  is  the;  only  sheep- 
raiser  I  know  of  in  the  county  who  has  succeeded  in  ma  king- 
improved  stock  profitable.  Hi-  success,  howevei.isto  be  at- 
tributed to  intelligent  management  and  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  his  business. 

MIXING. 

The  mining  industries  of  Dona  Ana  county  have  recently  as- 
sumed an  importance .  that  dwarfs  all  others.  It  has  been 
known  for  many  years  that  valuable  mineral  deposits  were  con- 
tained in  all  of  our  mountain  range>.  but  their  extent  and  rich- 
ness was  not  until  recently  suspected.  For  the  following  reports 
relative  to  the  Organs.  Lake  Valley  and  the  Jarilla  districts  I 
am  indebted  to  Messrs.  \V.  B.  Sloan,  of  the  Ni-:w  MKXICAN.  I. 
K.  Slease.  of  the  Rio  (r/'<i/i<I<<  R<j»^,l •<•<!, ^  and  S.  II.  Newman, 
of  the  Low  8t«t\  (El  Paso.  Texas).  I  have  verified  the1  correc- 
tions of  these  reports  by  personal  observation,  and  therefore 
adopt  them  MS  my  own.  without  hesitation. 

THE  ORGANS. 

The  Organ  mountains  lie  about  eighteen  miles  cast  of  the 
Rio  Grande.  The  district  is  at  present  ahead  of  any  in  the 
county  in  the  amount  of  development  work  and  prospecting 
being  done.  All  that  is  now  needed  to  place  the  various  mines 
on  a  paying  basis  is  acoupie  of  smelters,  and  it  is  very  proba- 
ble that  they  will  be  erected  within  a  few  months. 

The  Organs  no  doubt  derive   their  name  from  the   tall    spire-' 
shaped  peaks  closely  groaned,    that,    in   the  distance,  resemble 

the  pipes  of  a  large  church  organ,  especially  when  viewed  from 
the  plains  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountains  ;  hence  the 
name  is  not  inappropriate. 

The  principal  composition  of  the  mountain  mass  in  >ight  at 
the  different  elevations,  and  as  shown  by  the  line  of  breakage  dis- 
cernible at  points  varying'  in  Distances,  is  syenite  doloritic  lime- 
stone proper,  and  is  combined  with  other  minerals,  sandstone, 
arbolite.  and  porphyry,  with  now  and  then  talc,  porphyry  and 
quart/  in  mass:  and  in  several  places  it  bears  evidence  of  having 
undergone  a  roasting,  the  residuum  filling  the  surrounding  cav- 


16  RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


ities.  Again,  the  usual  combination  of  quartz  and  feldspar, 
that  in  the  different  localities  are  more  or  less  mineralized,  from 
the  cap  rock  of  the  clearly  defined  veins  that  ramify  the  moun- 
tain mass,  extending  from  the  summit  to  the  plain  on  either 
side  of  the  mountain,  within  the  mineral  belt  range  proper,  for 
such  these  mountains  have,  for  a  distance  of  at  least  twenty 
miles  long  by  six  wide,  counting  from  summit  to  each  side^of 
the  mountain  plain. 

These  mountains  have  a  coal  formation  in  the  upper  cap  of 
the  wavelet  before  named,  that  can  be  tapped  several  times  in 
three  miles  and  then  has  its  incline  under  the  plairt. 

The  following  are  among  the  best  known  properties  in  the 
range  on  which  work  is  now  being  steadily  prosecuted. 

The  Hawkeye  has  a  shaft  down  about  thirty  feet  and  shows 
white  quartz  with  antimonial  silver,  galena  and  sulphurets  of 
iron.  It  has  a  vein  about  two  and  a  half  feet  in  width,  follow- 
ing the  lead  with  a  black  wall  of  syenite.  The  ore  is  said  to 
assay  from  $100  to  $350  in  silver. 

The  Memphis  is  in  lime  formation.  The  main  shaft,  No.  1, 
at  this  examination  is  one  hundred  feet  deep.  It  has  a  cross- 
cut of  fifty-three  feet  running  west,  eighteen  feet  all  in  ore. 
At  the  one  hundred  feet  level,  a  cross-cut  is  being  run,  in  ore, 
now  m  thirty-four  feet.  The  ore  vein  on  the  west  side  of  the 
wall  is  perfect,  pitching  five  inches  to  the  foot.  On  the  east  of 
the  wall  it  is  all  in  ore  and  its  quantity  is  unknown.  The  mine 
is  not  yet  in  that  shape  that  a  computation  can  be  made.  The 
character  of  the  ore  is  very  flattering  for  developing  into  a  good 
paying  mine.  Mr.  Joblin,  the  superintendent,  is  pushing  the 
work  of  development  as  fast  as  can  be  done  with  the  force  he 
has  at  hand.  The  ore  of  this  mine  is  copper-stain  carbonates 
and  galena,  carrying  silver.  It  is  said  assays  have  been  made 
of  this  ore  varying  from  $40  to  $200.  If  the  ore  will  average 
half  of  that  it  is  a  fortune  for  its  owners,  and  will  pay  them  to 
build  their  own  mill  and  run  a  heavy  force  of  men. 

The  Modoc  and  the  south  extension  of  the  same  lode,  called 
the  Lebanon,  are  owned  by  Col.  W.  L.  and  J.  H.  Rynerson, 
and  the  north  extension  is  owned  by  the  same  parties  and  Nes- 
tor Armijo.  These  claims  show  up  good  ore  bodies,  consisting 
in  part  of  galena,  carrying  silver,  copper  and  a  little  gold.  The 
Modoc  has  a  tunnel  projected  sixty  feet  in  the  mountain  mass, 
which  is  no\v  thirty  feet  from  the  summit,  with  contact  well  de- 
fined, and  has  every  appearance  now  of  developing  into  a  good 
mine. 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY.  17 


The  Stevenson  mine  is  an  old  one,  but  at  this  time  no  work  is 
being  done  upon  it.  As  an  evidence  of  its  early  use,  in  the 
long  ages  past,  not  far  from  the  Mocloc  and  to  the  southeast,  is 
an  old  rains,  with  walls  about  two  feet  high,  showing  that  at 
least  a  four-room  hou.se  had  an  existence,  and  near  this  are  the 
remains  of  an  old  -smelting  furnace,  and  around  it  is  found  a 
quantity  of  antimonial  silver.  Nothing  like  it  has  yet  been 
found  in  these  mountains,  so  the  inevitable  conclusion  follows 
that  the  source  of  this  mineral  is  undiscovered,  if  in  these 
mountains,  or  else  the  ore  was  imported  from  some  far-off  dis- 
trict, yet  unknown. 

The  Merrimac  is  situated  one  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the 
Hawkeye  and  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  the  Sylvia.  It  is 
claimed  to  be  one  of  the  best  leads  in  the  district,  and  is  claim- 
ed to  carry  sixty  per  cent,  copper  and  sixty-six  ounces  of  sil- 
ver. It  has  a  fissure  vein  with  syenite  walls  on  one  side  and 
limestone  on  the  other,  and  has  an  eight-feet  developement 
shaft.  The  matrix  has  in  it  iron,  silver,  oxide  of  copper  r.nd 
galena. 

The  Black  Hawk,  on  the  northern  part  of  the  mountains  is 
owned  by  Schaublin,  Frudenthall  &  Co.  This  is  an  incline  shaft 
of  about  forty-five  feet,  following  the  vein  dipping  to  the  north- 
east in  a  fissure,  mineralized  all  the  way.  The  shaft  is  five  by 
six,  copper  indications.  They  claim  to  have  an  assay  of  two 
ounces  gold,  $50  silver,  and  two  per  cent,  copper,  i.  e.,  $100  of 
the  copper  per  ton. 

On  the  south  end  of  Mineral  Hill,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
mountains,  and  about  eight;  miles  north  of  Shedd's  ranch,  are 
a  series  of  claims  belonging:  to  a  California  company,  called  the 
Uranus,  Vulcan.  Lady  Hopkins  and  Pocotiempo.  All  these 
claims  have  a  heavy  iron  capping,  and  carry  both  gold  and  sil- 
ver. There  are  no \v  several  shafts  in  about  ten  feet,  but -prep- 
arations are  being  made  to  run  a  300-feet  tunnel  to  bisect  and 
cut  the  several  veins  that  cross  the  mountain  and  also  through 
the  several  claims. 

It  will  not  be  very  long  before  capitalists  will  be  directing 
their  attention  to  these  mountains,  and  with  one  or  two  good 
mills  in  operation,  Las  Cruces  and  Mesilla  will  become  the 
thriving  places  they  were  in  the  past. 

LAKE    VALLEY. 

Considering  the  amount  of  developement,   the  Lake  Valley 
mining  district  certainlv  has  as  flattering  an  outlook  as  any  in 
3' 


18  RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


the  Territory,  and  is  located  in  the  foot  hills  of  the  Black  Range, 
upon  its  southeastern  slope,  within  twelve  miles  of  Nutt  Sta- 
tion, on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  railroad,  said  sta- 
tion being  twenty-seven  miles  north  of  Deming.  The  general 
formation  of  the  district  is  fossiliferous  lime  streaked  with 
strong  strata  of  porphoiy,  and  the  pay  material  seems  to  be 
cased  between  lime  and  porphyry,  the  contact  showing  more 
perfectly  where  the  greatest  depth  is  attained.  Of  the  ores,  an 
iron  carbonate  strongly  impregnated  with  chlorides  and  sul 
phides  of  silver  predominates,  though  lead,  carbonates,  anti- 
monial  lead  and  antimonial  silver  are  found  in  considerable 
quantities.  The  entire  precious  metal  yielding  area  of  this  dis- 
trict does  not  embrace  a  space  of  over  two  miles  square,  and 
decidedly  the  best  portion  of  this  is  covered  by  the  claims  of 
the  Sierra  Grande,  Sierra  Bella,  Sierra  Plata  and  Sierra  Apache 
companies.  Although  these  four  companies  are  separate  cor- 
porations, the  leading  lights  of  all  are  the  same  men,  who  in 
mining  affairs  have  a  national  reputation. 

The  properties  of  the  Sierra  Grande  company  are  the  Lin- 
coln, Sumpter,  and  Emporia  No.  I.  Those  of  the  Sierra 
Bella,  include  the  Emporia  No.  2,  Strieby,  Columbia,  and  Lit- 
tle One.  The  Sierra  Plata  company  own  the  Stan  ton,  Crown 
Point,  Golden  Gate,  Silver  Reef,  Arizona,  Comstock  and  Vir- 
ginia claims,  while  the  Sierra  Apache  numbers  in  its  list  the 
Surprise,  Kohinoor,  Crescent  and  Grace  Darling.  Among  the 
entire  list  of  properties,  probably  the  Lincoln  of  the  Sierra 
Grande,  shows  the  greatest  amount  of  developement,  and  con- 
tains in  sight  the  largest  bodies  of  ore,  actually  measuring  in 
places  twelve,  fourteen  and  sixteen  feet  of  very  high  grade 
ore. 

Next  in  point  of  development  are  the  Stanton  of  the  Sierra 
Plata,  and  Columbus  and  Emporia  No.  2  of  the  Sierra"  Bella 
companies.  All  of  these  show  vast  bodies  of  ore  equally  as  rich 
and  almost  as  large  as  those  of  the  Lincoln.  The  Kohinoor  of 
the  Sierra  Apache,  although  not  as  much  developed  as  the  above 
described  claims,  shows  upon  the  surface  even  more  flattering 
than  any  of  them.  There  are  at  least  two  thousand  tons  of  ore 
upon  the  dumps  of  these  properties,  all  having  been  extracted 
from  the  drifts,  cuts  and  winzes,  (no  stoping  being  done),  and 
its  estimated  value  made  from  close  samples  and  tests,  is  far  in 
excess  of  the  original  purchase  money,  which  is  popularly  sup- 
posed to  have  been  $500,000.  Nuoibers  of  leading  mining  ex- 
perts have  recently  examined  these  properties,  and  it  is  stated 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY.  19 


that  none  of  them  have  estimated  the  ore  reserve  to  be  seen  at 
less  than  $5,OuO,000. 

The  ores  of  these  properties  are  assorted  into  about  six 
classes,  running  less  than  forty  ounces  of  silver  per  ton,  and, 
marvelous  to  relate,  large  proportions  of  it  reaching  5,000, 
10,00(J  and  even  15,000  ounces  of  silver  per  ton. 

After  a  great  many  working  tests  it  has  been  determined  that 
at  least  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  ore  of  these  mines  is  free  mill- 
ing ;  consequently  a  large  force  of  men  are  employed  in  grading 
space  ior  mill  plants,  and  machinery  is  being  purchased  to 
arrive  at  an  early  date. 

Twelve  miles  northwest  of  Nutt  Station,  on  the  A.,  T.  &  S.  F. 
railroad,  in  Dofia  Ana  county,  New  Mexico,  is  situated  the 
grandest  deposit  of  silver  ore  ever  discovered.  In  comparison 
with  it,  the  treasure  which  the  genii  of  the  wonderful  lamp  and 
ring  laid  at  the  feet  of  Aladdin  sinks  into  insignificance  ;  and 
the  story  of  the  Peruvian  Inca,  who  filled  his  prison  cell  with 
preqous  metal  to  satiate  his  relentless  captor's  avarice,  will  no 
longer  pass  for  fable  when  the  wealth  of  this  marvelous  mine 
becomes  known.  Humboldt  long  ago  declared  that  the  wealth 
of  the  world  would  be  found  in  New  Mexico,  and  no  one  who 
has  seen  the  mountains  of  treasure  piled  up  in  Lake  Valley  will 
herealter  feel  disposed  to  doubt  the  acuracy  of  the  prediction. 

A  little  more  than  three  years  ago  a  miner  by  the  name  of 
Lufkin,  then  living  at  Hillsboro,  New  Mexico,  fifteen  miles 
northwest  of  Lake  Valley,  or  McEvers'  ranch,  as  it  was  then 
called,  in  company  with  a  companion,  started  out  on  a  prospect 
ing  trip  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  .southern  extremity  of  the  Black 
Range.  They  had  no  luck  for  some  weeks  ;  but  finally,  at  a 
point  about  two  miles  west  ^ of  MeEvers'  they  discovered  a 
large  body  of  black  ore  croppings  extending  over  a  hundred 
acres  of  territory  and  indicating  plainly  the  presence  of  min- 
eral of  some  kind.  The  big,  black  bodies  of  ore,  cropping  out 
above  the  surface,  showed  that,  whatever  the  nature  of  the  min- 
eral to  be  found,  it  was  certainly  in  immense  quantities.  They 
sank  several  prospect  holes  and  soon  satisfied  themselves  that 
they  had  "struck  it  rich*'  in  silver  ;  but,  as  their  "grub  stake'' 
was  by  this  time  exhausted,  they  returned  to  Hillsboro  and  got 
employment,  one  as  a  cook  and  the  other  as  a  miner,  saved  up 
their  wages  for  several  months,  in  order  to  have  a  "grubstake*' 
when  they  should  go  again  to  work  on  their  claim. 

In  a  few  weeks  the  Indian  war  broke  out  upon  the  country 
and  mining  operations  in  that  section  were  suspended.  Finally, 


20  RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


however,  through  the  assistance  of  Hon.  J.  A.  Mil  lor.  of  Grant 
county,  N.  M.,  who  was  then  the  post  trader  at  F<  Bayard, 
Lufkin  and  partner  were  enabled  to  develop  their  mines  suffi- 
ciently to  prove  that  they  were  first-class  ;  and  then  a  rush  be 
gan  towards  the  new  district.  Claims  were  located  on  all  sides 
and  quite  a  mining  camp  sprung  into  existence.  Ore  running 
as  high  as  §1.000  per  ton  was  exposed,  and  Mr.  Miller  began  to 
look  around  for  means  to  better  develop  the  mines.  The  result 
was  that  about  a  year  ago  Mr.  Miller  effected  a  sale  of  the  prin- 
cipal mines  in  the  district  to  a  syndicate  of  New  York  capital- 
ist lor  S-25,000,  Lufkin  and  his  partner  receiving  £25,000  of 
the  amount. 

•  This  company,  of  which  Gco.  D.  Roberts,  a  New  York  gen- 
tleman, worth  several  million  dollars,  is  the  head,  immediately 
began  to  sink  shafts  and  run  drifts  to  ascertain  the  extent  and 
richness  of  the  mines.  It  soon  transpired  that  the  original 
owners  had  not  even  dreamed  of  the  wealth  they  had  discover- 
ed. Rich  deposits  wers  continually  found,  until  it  finally  be- 
came a  very  common  .thing  to  hear  of  two  and  three  thousand 
dollar  rock  at  Lake  Valley  ;  and  a  couple  of  months  ago  even 
those  who  had,  by  familiarity  with  the  rich  ores  of  the  district, 
become  indifferent  to  the  wealth  they  daily  encountered,  were 
perfectly  astounded  at  new  developements  which  uncovered  to 
their  astonished  visions  enormous  chambers  of  nearly  pure  silver. 

There  are  at  Daly  (the  name  given  to  the  mining  camp),  not 
less  than  T,0(»0  tons  of  ore  on  the  dumps,  running  from  si 00  to 
$20,0' »0  to  the  ton  ;  and  in  the  mines,  already  uncovered  and 
exposed  to  view,  thei'3  are  certainly  not  less  than  20,000  tons 
more  of  the  same  kind  and  richer  ore.  We  believe  we  saw, 
in  the  two  hours  it  took  us  to  view  the  mines,  not  less  than 
$15,000,000  worth  of  ore.  That  running  from  siiOO  to  sSOO  to 
the  ton  is  classed  us  low-  :T:ide  in  this  camp.  The  pay  begins 
at  the  grass  roots  and  even  in  places  at  the  cronpings  above 
the  ground,  and  continues  to  a  depth  already  readied  of  fiftv 
feet,  and  along  the  hillside  for  a  distance  of  probably  2,000  feet. 
The  deepest  shaft  we  descended  was  not  over  fifty  feet,  and  the 
ore  body  was  still  pitching  downward.  Huge  caverns  have  been 
excavated  beneath  the  grass,  with  only  a  thin  roof  of  lime- 
stone or  porphyry  from  one  to  six  or  eight  feet. thick  supported 
on  timbers,  which  gives  the  place  a  wild,  weird  appearance, 
with  its  huge  mountains  of  silver  ore  rolled  one  upon  another 
by  nature  in  her  throes  with  some  primeval  volcano,  and 
prepares  one  for  the  appearance,  in  some  dark  corner,  of  the 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY.  21 


genius  who  presides  over  nature's  treasures.  Instinctively  one 
raises  his  candle  to  get  a  better  view  of  the  magic  chambers. 
Here  the  rock  is  black  and  looks  like  iron  slag  from  some  huge 
forge  ;  there  it  has  a  reddish  cast,  as  though  the  internal  fires  to 
which  it  owes  its  origin  had  not  yet  cooled  off ;  yonder  the  ore 
loses  its  characteristics  as  a  rock  formation  and  resembles  a  huge 
mass  of  solt  quicksilver  amalgam,  both  to  the  touch  and  to  the 
eye  ;  in  another  spot  it  hangs  in  beautiful,  glistening,  soft  chlo- 
ride crystals  which  feel  damp  in  the  hand,  and  when  compressed 
yield  to  the  pressure  and  assume  the  shape  of  the  closed  palm, 
like  dough.  The  latter  formation  is  more  readily  smelted  than 
any  ore  we  ever  saw  before  ;  the  flame  of  the  candle  sending  the 
virgin  silver  dripping  down  the  wall  like  shot.  We  had  heard 
and  doubted  this  story  and  were  perfectly  well  aware  of  the 
fact  that,  according  to  the  chemistry,  it  re  [iiires  1,873  degrees 
fahrenheit  to  fuse  silver  ;  yet  we  are  now  living  witnesses  to  the 
fact  that  the  flame  of  a  candle  held  against  the  projecting  crys- 
tals of  chloride  of  silver  in  these  mines,  unaided  by  the  blow- 
pipe, is  sufficient  to  fuse  them  in  half  a  minute.  These  chlo- 
rides run  about  S2T,  000  to  the  ton;  and  we  certainly  saw  of 
them  and  horn  silver  (equally  as  rich)  a  hundred  tons.  The 
chamber  containing  these  crystals  is  called  the  Bridal  Chamber  ; 
and  it  is  here  that  Gov.  Suffbrd,  of  Arizona,  offered  to  give 
$50.000  to  be  allowed  to  carry  off  and  keep  all  the  ore  that  ho 
might  by  his  own  individual  labor  extract  in  t  en  hours.  There 
is  scarcely  any  waste  rock.  There  are  live  piles  of  ore  to  one 
of  waste  ;  and  it  is  with  difficulty  that  rock  is  obtained  for 
building  the  clumps  to  the  height  of  a  wagon  without  using  ore 
for  the  purpose.  We  stood  in  mute  astonishment,  contemplat- 
ing the  vast  wealth  before  us  and  resolved  to  read  again,  but 
this  time  for  truth,  the  story  of  Aladdin  and  the  Wonderful 
Lamp,  which  we  read  in  our  boyhood  days  for  fiction,  never 
dreaming  then  that  the  time  would  .ever  come  when  the  wealth 
which  the  genii  lavished  upon  the  tailor's  son  would  appear 
aught  else  than  the  veriest  chimera  of  a  fertile  imagination. 

To  work  this  mineral,  the  company  owning  the  mines  is  erect- 
ing a  20-stamp  mill  to  cost  $80, 000  ;  and  when  it  is  finished  it  is 
predicted  the  output  of  bullion  will  run  $100,000  a  day  for 
many  months.  In  another  issue  we  shall  speak  of  this  mill  and 
of  other  interesting  features  connected  with  this  wonderful 
spot.  The  present  article  has  already  stretched  out  to  undue 
proportions,  and  we  will  only  add,  in  closing,  that  the  history 
of  the  world  contains  no  parallel  to  this  New  Mexico  mine. 


22  RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


Not  a  thousand  persons  have  yet  seen  it,  and  probably  not  one- 
tenth  as  many  more  will  feel  disposed  to  accept  without  reserve 
our  statements  ;  but  they  are  till  true,  nevertheless.  The  rich 
chambers  we  have  described  are  situated  at  a  point  of  junction 
of  two  claims  called  respectively  the  Lincoln  and  the  Stanton  by 
the  locators,  but  now  absorbed  into  the  Sierra  Plata  and  Sierra 
Grande  groups  by  the  New  York  company. 

THE   JARILLA    DISTRICT. 

The  Jarilla  mountains,  now  known  as  the  Silver  Hills  district, 
are  about  twenty  miles  east  of  Shedd's  ranch,  which  is"  on  the  east- 
ern  slope  of  the  Organ  range.  They  are  about  twelve  miles  in 
length  from  north  to  south,  and  present  every  appearance  of  be- 
ing a  volcanic  upheaval  in  the  midst  of  the  arid  plaid,  some 
sixty  miles  wide,  which  lies  between  the  Organ  and  the  Sacra- 
mento ranges. 

The  Jarillas  are  a  very  irregular  mass  of  rocks,  comprising 
many  broken  ridges  and  abrupt,  jagged  peaks,  with  deep 
gulches  and  ravines.  The  formation  consists  of  granite  and 
lime,  with  some  porphyry,  and  is  such  as  would  naturally  attract 
the  eye  of  the  intelligent  prospector. 

The  Silver  Hills  have  sprung  into  fame  only  since  the  1st  of  Jan- 
uary last,  though  they  have  long  been  known  to  be  rich  in 
mineral,  and  many  attempts  have  been  made  to  prospect  and 
develop  them  ;  but  owing  to  the  Avant  of  water,  which  had  to 
becarried  Irom  Shedd's  ranch,  every  effort  proved  futile. 

At  length  a  band  of  daring  prospectors  resolved  to  invade 
this  hitherto  inaccessible  region,  and  make  bold  and  strenuous 
efforts  to  surmount  its  difficult ies.  On  their  return,  their 
"finds'*1  proved  so  satisfactory  that  a  host  of  others,  on  hear- 
ing their  report,  hastened  to  follow  so  good  an  example,  and 
in  a  short  time  this  small  area  was  alive  with  prospectors,  and 
more  than  150  claims  was  recorded,  besides  which  many  others 
are  found  equally  good,  but  are  not  yet  placed  on  record. 

The  lodes  generally  extend  northwest  and  southeast.  At  the 
south  end  the  capping  is  mostly  iron,  in  some  of  its  numerous, 
iorms.  These  cappings  are  gold  and  silver  bearing  ;  but  most 
of  the  miners  think,  as  soon  as  the  cap  rock  is  removed,  the 
principal  yield  will  be  gold.  This  supposition  seems  to  be  well 
grounded,  as  placer  gold  is  found  in  nearly  all  the  gulches. 
Some  silicious  lime  is  also  found  in  the  south.  As  you  pass  to 
the  north,  the  iron  cvpping  rrivrs  way  to  that  of  silioions  li 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY.  23 


and  the  prospect  for  gold  decreases  while  that  for  silver  and 
copper  increases,  But  while  this  rule  holds  good  in  the  main, 
like  other  rules  it  has  exceptions.  So  we  are  not  surprised  to 
learn  that  some  claims  at  the  south  run  high  in  silver  and  copper. 

It  is  conceded  by  mining  men  of  intelligence  and  experience 
that  in  this  small  district  there  is  more  mineral  in  sight  than  in 
any  other  district  they  hrve  yet  seen.  Still,  no  one  can  say  that 
these  extraordinary  surface  indications  will  prove  to  be  good 
mines.  Nothing  but  the  steady  ring  of  the  hammer  and  drill 
and  the  boom  of  the  blast  will  prove  where  there  are  mines  and 
where  there  are  none.  Nevertheless,  few  camps  have,  in  so  short 
a  space  of  time  attracted  the  attention  of  so  much  capital. 
Many  moneyed  men  visit  the  Jarillas,  and  few  return  without 
investing.  Several  claims  have  been  sold,  without  develop- 
ment, for  $500  each,  while  others  have  been  bonded  at  820,000. 
Interests  have  also  been  sold  in  some  claims  at  good  figures, 
where  the  locators  were  too  sanguine  to  sell  outright,  but  not 
rich  enough  to  develop  alone. 

All  the  ore  is  impregnated,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  with 
copper  in  its  various  forms,  and  yields  well  in  gold  and  silver. 
We  have  had  reports  of  assays  running  as  high  as  76  per  cent. 
in  copper,  and  from  15  to  79  ozs.  in  silver.  Of  gold  we  have 
.no  specific  report  ;  but  as  before  intimated  the  prospect  is  very 
good.  It  is  said  that  from  four  pounds  of  ore  from  the  Refufia 
mine,  smelted  in  the  rudest  manner,  two  ounces  of  silver  were 
obtained. 


of  the  prospecting  has  been  done  by  men  who  under- 
stood their  business,  consequently  there  are  many  groups  con- 
veniently arranged  for  woi  king  by  companies  on  a  large  scale. 
Of  these  we  n:ay  mention  the  Iron  group,  at  the  south  end,  on 
which  an  open  cut  27  feet,  has  been  made  in  solid  iron  —  a  good 
surface  indication,  and  showing  better  at  every  blast. 

South  of  this  is  the  Paul  Jones  group,  comprising  several 
fine  locations,  with  42  per  cent,  cooper,  $38  in  silver  and  $2f>  in 
gold  on  the  surface.  In  the  same  locality  is  the  Refufia,  one  of 
the  best  silver  piospects  in  the  Territory;  also  the  Primer 
Amor,  Big  Nose  and  Mr.  A.  J.  Fountain's  claims,  which  yield 
79  ozs.  of  silver  witn  a  good  percentage  of  copper  on  the  sur- 
face, and  many  others  perhaps  equally  as  good,  were  the  proper 
tests  made. 

About  the  center  of  the  district  lies  the  Egyptian  group, 
comprising  a  number  of  locations  yielding  Oil  ozs.  silver  and  a 


24  RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


large  percentage  of  copper.  There  are  many  other  fine  claims 
in  this  neighborhood  which  show  good  looking  ore  at  a  nominal 
depth,  but  which  have  not  yet  been  tested. 

At  the  extreme  north  may  .be  found  the  Grand  Copper  belt, 
sixty  feet  wide,  carrying  40  to  50  per  cent,  copper,  &  18  silver 
and  SO  gold  at  the  surface.  In  an  interview  with  Messrs. 
Matlock  and  Bintort  we  learned  that  the  Copper  Queen  on  this 
belt  Avas  sold  to  Messrs.  Nobl:-)  and  Dougher  of  El  Paso  for 
$10,000,  with  more  than  four  hundred  tons  of  ore  in  sight. 
Also,  that  the  E  peror  of  Russia  and  the  I  ,  in  this  vicin- 

ity, were  bonded  to  the  s;i;nc  parties  f 

If  the  practicrbility  of  obtaining    \v  can    once    be 

established,  the  Silver  Hills  district  will  immediately  rank  first 
in  mining  camps.  And  on  account  of  t.;ie  basin  shape  of  the 
valley,  opening  aB  it  does  to  the  north,  to  receive  the  under 
drainage  of  a  wide  valley  between  continuous  ra ages  ot  moun- 
tains for  more  than  150  miles,  into  which,  we  know  that  a 
large  quantity  of  water  must  sink,  to  be  found  somewhere  in 
the  natural  course  below,  this  may  not  prove  impossible* 

A  well  has  been  sunk  te  a  depth  of  ninety  feet  in  Don-town, 
about  five  miles  west  of  the  Jarillas,  at  the  bottom  of  which  is 
a  bed  of  sand  and  red  clay  sufficiently  wet  to  squeeze  Avater 
from  it  with  the  hand  It  this  bed  be  perforated,  and  sand  and 
gravel  found  below,  water  will  undoubtedly  follow,  and  prob- 
ably rise  almost  to  the  surface.  If  so,  we  predict  for  the  Ja- 
rillas a  boom  such  as  has  not  been  known  since  the  palmy  days 
of  Leadville. 

Mining  in  the  .Jarillas,  prior  to  the  recollection  of  the  oldest 
visitants,  and  indeed  prior  to  any  well  authenticated  liisto 
this  country,  has  left  itf  traces  in  numerous 'dumps  of  re;ericd 
ore,  evidently  considered  worthless  in  comparison  with  that 
which  was  probably  packed  long  distances  for  reduction  by  the 
rude  methods  then  known,  but  which  will  yield  a  handsome 
profit  under  present  modes  of  treatment  and  advantages  of 
transportation.  The  old  shafts,  or  more  properly  "  irang 
ways,1*1  from  which  the  oie  ha.s  been  carried  on  the  backs  of 
peons,  have  yielded  to  the  mouldering  influences  of  time  ;  and 
the  work  of  denudation  which  has  been  going  on  for  decades, 
perhaps  centuries,  has  filled  them  up  and  almost  obliterated 
from  thorn  every  trace  of  human  industry.  Even  the  old  ore 
piles  were  covered  with  wash  from  the  mountains  above,  so  that 
they  were  only  found  by  mere  accident.  At  other  places,  great 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY.  25 


excavations  have  been  made  for  that  highly-prized  and  valuable 
gem,  the  turquoise ;  and,  judging  from  the  numerous  small 
specimens  found  in  the  old  debris,  not  without  success.  But  as 
civilization  advances,  the  demand  for,  and  hence  the  value  of, 
mere  ornament  decrease,  so  that  it  is  not  likely  that  it  will  ever 
pay  again  to  work  these  deposits  for  turquoise. 

Some  speculative  minds  believe  these  traces  of  ancient  mining 
have  been  thus  obliterated  by  the  Pueblo  Indians,  to  keep  their 
Spanish  conquerors  from  using  their  enforced  labor  to  enrich 
themselves  ;  while  others  deem  itot  more  recent  date,  and  claim 
that  they  were  concealed  by  the  Mexicans  about  the  time  of  the 
cession  of  Ne\v  Mexico  to  the  United  States.  But  for  ourselves, 
we  prefer  to  attribute  the  obliteration  to  natural  causes. 

THE    POTRILLAS. 

This  is  a  small  range  of  mountains  near  the  Mexican  line, 
about  thirty-five  miles  southwest  of  Mesilla,  many  valuable 
mines  have  already  been  discovered  in  this  range. 

THE  SAX    AXDREAS    AND    SAX    NICHOLAS    MOUNTAINS. 

These  mouutain  ranges  otter  a  tine  field  for  the  piospector  ; 
they  are  northern  extensions  ot'  the  Organ  range,  and  are  known 
to  be  rich  in  valuable  mineral.  But  very  little  prospecting  has 
yet  been  done  in  these  ranges,  in  fact  it  may  be  said,  notwith- 
standing the  rich  discoveries  made  in  Lake  Valley,  Hillsboro, 
the  Organs  and  the  Jariilas,  that  the  mines  of  Doiin  Ana  county 
have  not  yet  been  fairly  prospected.  J  have  myself,  with  a 
horn  spoon  and  a  canteen  of  water,  washed  gold  out  of  the  sand 
in  a  dozen  canons  of  the  Jarilla  mountains,  and  I  am  informed 
by  reliable  gentlemen  that  they  have  done  the  same  in  the  San 
Andreas  range,  yet  I  know  of  no  placer  claim  having  been 
located  in  either  of  these  ranges. 

The  prospector  in  Dona  Ana  county  need  have  no  apprehen- 
sion that  his  mineral  discoveries  may  turn  out  to  be  within  the 
limits  of  somebody's  land  grant,  /or  not  «  foot  of  iidn<-rul  l<n«l 
in  thi*  connty  in  covered  btj  a  (/rant. 


RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


TOWNS. 


HILLSBOROUGH. 

The  town  of  Hillsborough  derives  its  importance  chiefly 
from  the  mines  in  the  vicinity.  The  population  is  now  about 
five  hundred,  mainly  American,  and  is  being  rapidly  swelled  by 
miners  and  prospectors.  There  are  several  business  houses 
located  here  which  do  a  large  trade  with  the  surrounding 
camps,  among  the  most  important  of  which  are,  Perrault  & 
Galles  and  S.  M.  Blun.  As  soon  as  the  stamp  mill  of  the 
Doila  Ana  Mining  Company  is  started  up  the  ore  now  on  the 
dumps  can  be  reduced  to  bullion,  and  this  will  do  much  towards 
building  up  the  town.  Hillsborough  will  always  be  a  place  of 
some  note  among  the  mining  centers  of  the  county.  This  town 
is  situated  on  a  small  stream  called  the  River  Perches,  on  the 
eastern-slope  of  the  Black  Range  of  mountains,  about  twenty- 
five  miles  west  of  the  R:o  Grande,  and  twelve  miles  north  of 
the  new  town  of 

SILVER    CAMP, 

or  Lake  valley  ;  population  at  present  about  five  hundred  and 
rapidly  increasing.  This  town  is  twelve  miles  west  of  Nutt 
Station,  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  railroad.  A 
daily  line  of  stage  coaches  convey  passengers  from  the  station 
to  the  camp.  The  mines  at  Lake  Valley  are  undoubtedly  the 
richest  now  being  worked  on  this  continent. 

COLORADO. 

An  agricultural  town,  situate  in  the  Rio  Grande  valley,  on 
the  A.,  T.  &  S.  F.  R.  R.;  population  about  750,  mostly  Spanish 
speaking  natives ;  principal  productions,  corn,  wheat,  beans, 
barley,  etc.;  one  ".arge  business  house,  Lynch  Bros.' 

SANTA    BARBARA. 

An  agricultural  to wn,  eight  miles  north  of  Colorado,  in  the 
Rio  Grnnde  valley.  Population,  200. 

RINCON. 

A  railroad  town;  is  the  point  of  junction  where  the  southern 
branch  of  the  A.,  T.  &  S.  F.  road  connects  with  the  main  line. 
Population  about  loo. 

DONA    ANA. 

This  town  is  situate  in  the  Mesilla  valley  on  the    Dona   Ana 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY.  27 


colony  grant  population  about  750,  mostly  native.  Wine  and 
fruit-growing  are  the  most  important  industries.  The  close 
proximity  of  this  t.nvu  to  the  Organ  mountain  mines  give  it  a 
prospective  importance,  it  beinoj  the  nearest  railroad  point  and 
having  all  other  facilities,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  the 
works  for  the  reduction  of  the  ores  of  the  Memphis  and  other 
mines  in  its  vicinity  will  be  erected  here,  in  which  event  it  will 
assume  an  importance  second  to  no  other  town  in  the  valley. 
The  best  quality  of  bottom  land,  under  cultivation,  with  water 
privilege,  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  the  grape,  fruits  and 
onions,  can  be  purchased  in  the  vicinity  of  Dona  Ana  in  tracts 
of  from  50  to  100  acres  at  $10  per  acre,  with  good  title. 

LAS   CRUCES. 

A  town  with  a  population  of  about  1,500,  on  the  A.,  T.  &  S. 
F.  railroad,  six  miles  south  of  the  town  of  Dona  Ana  and  with- 
in the  limits  of  the  Dona  Ana  colony  grant.  This  is  the  busi- 
ness center  of  the  county.  £^SQQTQtt  Ljhrarte 

By  an  act  of  the  last  legislature  the  county  seat  was  removed 
from  the  latter  place  to  Las  Cruces,  which  will,  of  course, 
give  it  an  added  importance.  The  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
for  some  distance  north  of  here,  and  on  south  to  the  Texas  bor- 
der, is  considered  the  finest  fruit-growing  section  of  the  Terri- 
tory. The  gardens  ot  Las  Cruces  and  Mesilla  are  justly  famed 
for  their  splendid  fruit,  which  is  unrivaled  in  size  and  flavor  by 
any  grown  in  the  Eastern  States. 

In  educational  advantages  Las  Cruces  is  not  behind  the  other 
cities  of  the  Territory.  The  Sisters  of  Loretto  have  established 
here  a  female  seminary,  which  is  largely  patronized  by  the  resi- 
dents of  this  portion  of  the  Territory.  In  addition  to  this, 
there  is  a  good  public  school ;  this,  too,  is  well  supported  by  the 
business  men  of  the  town. 

At  present  there  is  one  weekly  paper  published  in  Las 
Cruces — the  Rio  Grande  ItepvMican,  C.  J.  Hildreth,  man- 
ager— which  is  devoted  mainly  l  >  the  interests  of  the  Mesilla 
valley,  and  containing  much  interesting  and  useful  information 
concerning  the  garden  spot  of  the  Territory. 

Las  Cruces  has  several  large  mercantile  establishments  where- 
full  assorted  st<  cks  are  always  kept,  tw3  hotels,  two  flouring  mills, 
one  church  (Catholic),  a  Masonic  lodgre,  two  lawyers,  two  doc- 
tors, drug  st'Tcs,  bakeries,  butcher  shops,  blacksmith  and  car- 
penter shops,  etc.  Lines  of  coaches  run  daily  to  the  Organ- 


28  RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


mountain  mining  camps.  Miners'  and  prospectors'  outfits  can 
be  procured  at  reasonable  pi-ices.  The  distance  irom  Las  Cruces 
to  the  Organ  mountains  i.?  a'jou!;  sixteen  miles. 

MKSILLA. 

A  town  of  about  2j>;)0  inhabitants  in  the  heart  of  the  Mesilla 
•valley,  two  miles  from  the  Las  Cruces  railroad  depot.  Two 
lines  of  hacks  make  trips  twice  a  day  between  this  town  and 
Las  Cruces.  The  (<;wn  of  Mesilla  is  in  the.  center  of  the 
Mesilla  colony  grant,  contaijii»i(..r  about  twenty-four  square 
miles  of  the  richest  land  in  the  valley.  The  town  is  famous  for 
its  magnificent  orchards  a  /.a- 1>.  It  is  laid  out  in  regular 

streets,  which  are  shaded  by  bu;^  coiixwwood  and  other  shade 
trees.  The  terms  ot  the  United  States  and  Territorial  courts 
for  the  Third  Judicial  District  are  held  here.  The  United  States 
Land  Office  for  Southern  New  3L  xlco  is  located  here,  also  the 
United  States  Signal  Office.  There  are  several  large  mercantile 
establishments,  one  newspaper,  the  Mtsilla  Ncw$,  Ira  M. 
Bond,  editor  and  proprietor ;  'Hie  Catholic  church,  one  Episco- 
pal church,  one  convent  of  tiie  Sisters  of  Mercy,  who  also  keep 
an  excellent  school  for  boys  an-: I  girls,  one  flouring  mill,  one 
hotel  and  t,vo  boarding  houses,  a  doctor,  a  lawyer,  blacksmith 
and  carpenter  shops,  butchers,  bakers,  etc.  Some  of  the  finest 
residences  in  the  Mesilla  valley  are  situated  in  the  town  of 
Mesilla.  Wine  and  fruit-growing  are  the  principal  industries. 

SAXTA     TOM  AS. 

A  small  town  with  a  population  of  200,  is  in  the  Mesilla  val" 
ley,  six  miles  south  of  the  town  of  Mesilla.  Principal  Indus" 
tries,  stock-raising,  wheat,  corn,  beans  and  onions. 

BOSQUE     SECO. 

An  agricultural  town,  is  about  three  miles  east  of  Santa 
Tom  as,  in  the  Mesilla  valley  ;  population,  3oo. 

SAN    MIGUEL. 

Population,  400  ;  is  three  miles  south  of  Santa  Tomas,  in  the 
Mesilia  valley.  Industries,  agriculture,  wine  growing  and  stock- 
raising. 

LA    MESA. 

Population,  500  ;  is  three  miles  south  of  S:m  Miiruel  ;  princi- 
pal industries,  agriculture  and  stock-raising. 

CHAMBERIMO, 

A  flourishing  town  of  TOO  inhabitants,  in  the    Mesilla  valley, 


DONA  AXA  COUNTY. 


six  miles  south  of  La  Mesa,  the  center  of  a  magnificent  tract  of 
land  which  is  behrjf  rapidly  taken- up  and  planted  in  vinos  and 
fruits. 

AMOLES. 

A  small  town  nine  miles  south  of  Chamberino  ;  population 
about  300;  principal  industry,  stock-raising;  although  consid- 
erable land  is  planted  in  grain.  This  town  and  Chainbermo  are 
within  the  limits  of  the  lie  fugia  colony  grant 

TITLE  ROSA. 

A  well  laid  out  town  of  500  inhabit  ints ;  is  situ  ited  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Tulerosa  canon,  on  the  Tulerosa  river,  at  the 
western  slope  of  the  Sacramento  mountains,  SO  miles  northeast 
from  Las  Cruees.  Industries,  stock-raising,  wine  and  fruit 
culture  and  grain.  The  same  remarks  apply  to 

LA    LUZ. 

A  town  of  300  inhabitants,  situate  about  nine  miles  south  of 
Tulerosa,  at  the  mouth  of  La  Luz  canon,  at  the  foot  of  the 
western  slope. of  the  Sacramento  mountains.  There  are  several 
other  smaller  towns  and  settlements  in  the  county,  not  the  least 
important  of  »vhich  is  the  Organ  mountain  mining  camp,  sixteen 
miles  east  of  Las  Cruees. 

HOMESTEAD  LAW. 

NOTE. — The  following  with  reference  to  homestead  and  other  laws, 
courts  and  taxes,  is  of  course  true  to  the  Territory  at  large  : 

Under  the  acts  of  Congress  and  the  Territorial  statutes  there 
is  exempted  from  seizure  and  forced  sale  under  any  process  or 
order  of  any  court  of  law  or  equity  the  ground-plat  or  portion 
of  lands  and  the  buildings  thereon  occupied  as  the  residence 
and  property  of  the  debtor  being  the  owner  of  a  house  and 
having  a  family,  up  to  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars ;  and  if 
in  the  opinion  of  the  creditors  the  premises  claimed  by  the 
debtor  to  be  exempted  are  of  greater  value  than  one  thousand 
dollars,  the  premises  may  be  exposed  for  sale,  unless  a  greater 
sum  than  one  thousand  dollars  be  offered  the  premises  claimed 
as  a  homestead  shall  not  be  sold  ;  if  more  than  one  thousand 
dollars  be  offered,  the  premises  may  be  sold  ;  but  in  that  event 
one  thousand  dollars  of  the  purchase  money  shall  be  paid  to  the 
debtor  and  that  sum  shall  be  exempted  from  execution  for  one 
year. 


30  RESOUKCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


The  intention  and  effect  of  this  homestead  law  is  to  exempt 
from  execution  and  forced  sale  the  homestead  of  each  head  of 
a  family  up  to  the  value  of  one  thousand  dollars. 

EXEMPTION  Or  PERSONAL  PROPERTY  FROM  FORCED  SALE. 

There  is  also  exempted  by  law  from  execution  and  forced 
sale  for  debt  the  clothing,  beds  and  bed-clothing  necessary  for 
the  use  of  the  family  ;  firewood  sufficient  lor  the  use  of  the 
family  for  thirty  days  when  actually  on  hand  and  intended  for 
family  use  ;  all  religious  and  school  books  used  by  the  family  ; 
all  religious  and  family  pictures  ;  provisions  to  the  amount  of 
twenty-five  dollars  ;  kitchen  furniture  to  the  value  of  ten  dol- 
lars ;  tools  and  implements  used  by  the  debtor  to  carry  on  his 
trade  or  business,  not  to  exceed  twenty  dollars  in  value  ;  the 
articles  exempt  to  be  selected  by  the  debtor  and  their  value  to 
be  appraised  by  two  disinterested  householders  of  the  county. 

THE  COURTS. 

The  counties  of  Dona  Ana,  Grant  and  Lincoln  comprise  the 
Third  Judicial  District,  having  a  court  of  common  law  and 
equity  jurisdiction,  presided  over  by  an  Associate  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  Territory,  who  is  appointed  by  the  Presi- 
dent and  is  paid  by  the  United  States.  The  district  courts  are 
the  highest  courts  of  original  jurisdiction  iu  the  Territory.  They 
are  Territorial  and  iwt  United  States  court*,  but  are  authorized 
by  act  of  Congress  to  try  cases  arising  under  the  acts  of  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  when  engaged  in  the  trial 
of  sucJi  cases  are  invested  with  the  powers  of  circuit  and  district 
courts  of  the  United  States.  Two  terms  are  held  each  year  in 
each  county  in  the  district.  The  terms  in  Dona  Ana  county 
commence  on  the  fourth  Mondays  of  March  and  August  and 
continue  four  weeks.  The  terms  for  Dofia  Ana  county  are  held 
at  Mesilia,  at  which  terms  all  cases  arising  under  the  laws  of 
the  United  States  in  the  th/*ee  counties  comprtxiity  f/i?  district  are 
tried.  When  the  court  sits  in  Dofia  Ana  county  the  grand  and 
petit  juries  are  selected  from  the  three  counties  comprising  the 
district ;  but  when  it  sits  in  either  Grant  or  Lincoln  counties 
then  the  juries  are  drawn  from  the  body  of  the  county  in  which 
the  court  sits.  The  present  District  Judge  is  Hon  WJLRREN 
BRISTOL,  who  was  appointed  from  Minnesota  in  1873,  re-ap- 
pointed in  1 877  and  again  in  1881. 

The  District  Court  has  one  clerk,  who  is  appointed  by  the 
presiding  judge.  He  acts  for  the  entire  district.  His  office  is 
at  Mesilia.  The  present  incumbent  is  George  R.  Bowman. 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY.  31 


The  United  States  Attorney  for  the  Territory  prosecutes  for 
the  United  States.  There  is  also  a  prosecuting  attorney  for  the 
Territory,  who  represents  the  Territory  in  the  several  counties 
comprising  the  district.  He  is  appointed  by  the  Governor. 
His  term  of  office  is  for  two  years.  The  present  prosecuting 
attorney  for  the  Third  Judicial  District  is  Hon.  S.  B.  Newcomb. 
He  resides  and  has  his  office  at  Las  Cruces.  The  District  Court 
is  always  open  for  the  bringing  of  actions  on  the  common  law 
side,  and  the  presiding  judge  sits  as  chancellor  at  all  times  for 
the  hearing  of  causes  on  the  equity  side  of  the  court,  to  issue 
extraordinary  writs,  such  as  injunctions,  etc.,  and  to  issue  and 
hear  writs  of  habeas  corpus  and  extradition  matters. 

THE  PROBATE  COURT. 

A  probate  judge  elected  by  the  qualified  voters  of  the  county 
holds  his  office  for  two  years.  His  jurisdiction  is  confined  to 
the  probate  of  wills,  administration  of  estates  and  guardianship 
matters.  The  present  incumbent  is  Evangalisto  Chavez  ;  office 
and  residence  at  Las  Cruces. 

The  clerk  of  the  Probate  Court  (Horace  A.  Stephenson,  office 
at  Las  Cruces,)  is  elected  every  two  years  by  the  voters  of  the 
county.  He  is  ex  officio  clerk  of  the  Board  of  County  Commis- 
sioners, County  Assessor  and  County  Recorder. 

COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS. 

There  are  three  county  commissioners  elected  for  two  years. 
Their  powers  and  duties  are  similar  to  those  exercised  by  county 
supervisors  in  the  several  States.  The  present  board  consists  of 
Charles  H.  Armijo,  president,  Las  Cruces  ;  Nicholas  Gallos, 
Hillsboro  ;  Armado  Arvisu,  La  Mesa. 

OTHER    COUNTY   RFFICERS. 

A  sheriff,  who  is  also  ex-officio  county  collector  is  elected 
with  all  other  county  officers  every  two  years.  The  present 
sheriff  is  Thomas  I.  Bull,  office  and  residence,  Mesilla. 

The  County  Treasurer,  John  D.  Barncastle,  resides  at  the 
town  of  Dona  Ana. 

JUSTICES   OF   THE    PEACE. 

A  justice  of  the  peace  is  elected  in  and  for  and  by  the  voters 
of  each  precinct ;  term  of  office,  two  years  ;  he  sits  as  an  exam- 
ining magistrate  in  cases  of  felony  ;  has  jurisdiction  co-exten- 
sive with  the  county  for  the  trial  of  minor  offenses  ;  has  juris- 
diction in  civil  cases  where  the  amount  in  controversy  does  not 


RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


exceed  one  hundred  dollars,  and  where  the  question  of  the  title 
of  the  real  estate  and  the  boundaries  of  land  are  not  in  dispute. 
Appeals  can  be  taken  from  all  judgments  rendered  in  justices' 
courts  to  the  District  Court,  and  the  cases  appealed  arc  there 
tried  tie  it<»*<>. 

TAXES. 

A  poll-tax  of  one  dollar  is  levied  and  collected  annually  from 
every  male  resident  over  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  An  ad- 
valornm  tax  of  one pw  cent,  is  annually  levied  and  collected 
upon  ail  real  and  personal  estate.  Fifty  per  cent,  of  the  tax 
collected  is  paid  into  the  Territorial  treasury  ;  fifty  per  cent, 
goes  to  the  county  of  which  one-half  or  twenty-five  per  cent,  of 
the  tax  collected  is  set  apart  for  the  support  of  public  schools, 
undo:  the  head  of  "county  officers.'"1  I  should  have  mentioned 
a  board  of  school  commissioners  elected  at  the  same  time  and 
for  the  same  term  as  other  county  officers,  this  board  has  the 
entire  control  of  the  public  schools  of  the  county  and  the  dis- 
posal of  the  school  fund.  The  present  board  consists  of  Chas. 
H.  Armijo,  President  of  the  Board  ot  County  Commissioners, 
and  ex-officio  President  of  Scho  >I  Board,  residence  Las  Cruces  ; 
W.  L.  Rynerson,  residence  Las  Cruces ;  Jacob  Schaublin, 
residence,  Las  Cruces  ;  Pedro  Chaves,  residence,  Tulerosa. 

Dona  Ana  county  has  no  bonded  debt.  There  are  some  $3,000 
to  £Jr,000  of  outstanding  unpaid  county  warrants.  The  financial 
condition  of  the  .county,  however,  is  good.  The  amount  of  taxa- 
ble property  is  increasing  daily,  and  if  no  "unnecessary  debt  be 
created  county  warrant--  will  shortly  be  worth  their  face  value. 

RAILROADS. 

There  are  within  the  the  limits  of  Dona  Ana  county  something 
over  250  miles  of  railroad  constructed  and  in  operation.  The 
Atchison.  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  railroad  enters  the  county  from 
the  north,  and  running  south  via  Rincon  passes  through  the  en- 
tire length  of  the  Mesilla  valley  to  el  Paso.  Texas.  Erom  Rin- 
con it  branches  west  to  Dealing  where  connection  is  made  with 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad.  The  later  road  coming  from  the 
Pacific  passes  Doming,  thence  traversing  the  county  from  its 
western  limit  to  the  Rio  Grande  it  enters  the  State  of  Texas 
about  four  miles  north  of  El  Paso.  Immigrants  from  the  south- 
ern and  southwestern  states  can  reach  Dona  Ana  county  by 
either  the  Texas  and  Pacific  railroad,  or  the  ''Sunset  Route" 
from  San  Antonio,  Texas,  to  El  Pa^o,  thence  via  the  A..  T.  &  S. 
F.  to  Las  Cruces,  Mesilla,  Nutt  Station  or  other  business  centers. 


DONA  ANA  COUNTY.  33 


Travelers  from  the  north  and  west  can  come  by  the  A.,  T.  &  S. 
F.  road,  and  by  the  Southern  Pacific  road  from  the  Pacific 
coast. 

Honest,  industrious  and  thrifty  immigrants  are  needed  in 
Dona  Ana 'county,  men  who  know  how  and  who  are  not  afraid 
or  ashamed  to  work  will  find  an  inviting  field  and  a  warm  wel 
come  here.  Anyxintelligent,  industrious  and  thrifty  man  witlr 
a  small  capital  can  here  soon  make  himself  a  comfortable  home, 
earn  a  comfortable  living  for  himself  and  family,  and  by  the 
exercise  of  thrift  and  frugality  become  independent  if  not 
wealthy.  There  are  many  industries  for  him  to  take  hold  of. 
If  the  exciting  and  uncertain  life  of  a  miner  does  n«-t  tempt  him 
he  can  turn  his  attention  to  farmiiig,  onion-growing,  fruit- 
raising,  dairying,  stock-raisin sr;  he  can  cut,  bale  and  ship  grama 
hay;  he  can  buy  ten  acres  of  land  for  $100,  plant  it  in  vines 
and  fruit  trees,  and  in  four  years  his  labor  will  make  it  produce 
him  from  $500  to  $1,000  to  the  acre;  he  will  never  find  the 
ground  frozen  so  hard  in  winter  that  he  cannot  break  it  with  a 
two-horse  plow  ;  he  will  never  find  the  weather  so  cold  that  he 
cannot  work  in  the  open  air  in  his  shirt-sleeves  without  suffering 
severely  ;  he  will  never  find  the  heat  so  excessive  in  summer 
as  to  prevent  his  working  with  safety  from  sun  stroke  in  the 
open  field  ;  he  will  not  be  required  to  work  six  months  to  lay 
up  forage  to  feed  his  stock  the  other  six,  but  when  winter  comes 
on  and  his  crops  are  in  he  can  turn  his  cattle  loose  and  thev  will 
shift  for  themselves  ;  or  he  can  yoke  them  up,  take  his  wagon 
and  cut  arid  haul  a  load  of  good  hay  on  the  plains  within  a  dozen 
miles  of  the  valley  on  any  day  between  the  1st  of  January  and 
the  31st  of  December.  When  he  harvests  his  corn  in  October  or 
November  he  can  commence  the  next  day,  if  he  likes,  and  plow 
up  the  same  land  for  his  spring  wheat,  and  he  can  sow  that 
wheat  on  any  day  between  November  and  March  and  harvest  it 
in  June.  In  June,  July  and  August  he  would  expect  occasional 
showers,  but  during  the  other  nine  months  it  would  surprise 
him  very  much  1o  see  rain  fall  or  snow  cover  the  ground. 
Thriftless,  shiftless,  lazy  people  have  no  business  here  ;  they  are 
not  needed,  and  the  country  would  not  suit  them.  Dona  Ana 
county  has  a  very  fair  supply  of  business  and  professional  men. 
It  is  said  that  for  lawyers  and  doctors  there  is  always  room  on 
top  of  the  ladder.  Professional  gentlemen  will  be  warmly  and 
kindly  received  by  their  professional  brethren  here,  but  they 
will  discover  that  if  they  are  not  prepared  to  take  their  place  at 
the  top  it  would  have  been  better  for  them  to  have  staid  awav. 
The  same  may  be  said  with  respect  to  business  men  ;  they  will 


RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


find  sharp  competition  and  plenty  of  it.  Dona  Ana  county  does 
not  need  lawyers,  doctors  or  store-keepers.  She  needs  miners 
to  prospect  and  develop  her  rich  mineral  deposits  ;  farmers  and 
horticulturists  to  cover  her  rich  valleys  with  fields  of  golden 
grain  and  purple  laden  vines  ;  stock-raisers  to  cover  her  broad 
plains  with  herds  and  flocks  and  convert  her  millions  of  acres 
of  wild  grass  into  wool,  beef  and  leather. 

Any  special  information  respecting  Dona  Ana  county,  that 
such  men  may  require,  will  be  cheerfully  furnished  upon  appli- 
cation. 

Respectfully, 

ALBERT  J.  FOUNTAIN, 

Commissioner. 
MESiLLA,Dona  Ana  County,  N.  M.,  May  1,  1882. 


RESOURCES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 


find  sharp  competition  and  plenty  of  it.  Dona  Ana  county  does 
not  need  lawyers,  doctors  or  store-keepers.  She  needs  miners 
to  prospect  and  develop  her  rich  mineral  deposits  ;  farmers  and 
horticulturists  to  cover  her  rich  valleys  with  fields  of  golden 
grain  and  purple  laden  vines  ;  stock-raisers  to  cover  her  hroad 
plains  with  herds  and  flocks  and  convert  her  millions  of  acres 
of  wild  grass  into  wool,  beef  and  leather. 

Any  special  information  respecting  Dona  Ana  county,  that 
such  men  may  require,  will  be  cheerfully  furnished  upon  appli- 
cation. 

Respectfully, 

ALBERT  J.  FOUNTAIN, 

Commissioner. 
MESiLLA,Dona  Ana  County,  N.  M.,  May  1,  1882. 


ERRATUM. 

On  page  27,  line  one,  read  "  2,000  "  instead  of  "  750." 

On  page  15,  end  of  line  twenty,  »  connections  "  should  read 


"  correctness. 


Binder 
Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 
Stockton,  Calif. 

PAT.  JAN  21.  1908 


